Mol'Rihan Holiday
by DarkDevon13
Summary: It's holiday season in the Alpha Quadrant, and New Romulus is the only planet without one! Leave it to a Federation science officer, a Romulan Commander, and a Klingon General to fix that!


"Streamers, candy, music files, holodeck programs… What the hell is all this?" S'Pok Havoc, Commander of the Romulan warbird Vengence looked over the cargo manifest. Her friend, Kara Jayden, Chief science officer of the USS Enterprise-E gave a smug smile.

"Oh, you know, entertainment provisions." S'Pok raised her eyebrow, on a Romulan, it looked vaguely threatening.

"I'm told it's the holiday season on most Federation worlds right now… aren't you going to visit your family or something?"

Kara shrugged "Zak is with Chev's family on Andoria, Mom's off on some archaeological dig and won't be able to meet until New Years, and Captain Data-"

"You mean, your husband?" It was S'Pok's turn to give a smirk. Kara just rolled her eyes. Though technically the marriage between the famous Android Captain and his Trill Science officer was in public records, they preferred not to mention it while on duty.

"Data doesn't really have any family to speak of so we're spending the holidays together as a couple."

"New Romulus isn't exactly a noted holiday destination though."

"That's why we're bringing the holiday to you," Kara said with a smile before they ended the transition.

The most efficient route to New Romulus crossed into Klingon territory. While tensions were high between the governments, there was an informal cease fire at the moment. Thankfully the Empire's interests intersected with that of the Enterprise on this matter and S'Pok had arranged for an escort. The massive Bird of Prey made the helmsmen a little nervous, she couldn't blame him, it made her nervous too.

"They're hailing us and giving the correct codes," the Captain's communications officer informed her, "They wish to speak to Commander Jayden specifically." The woman sounded at the same time surprised and confused. Data glanced to his wife with a look that she couldn't quite interpret.

"Onscreen"

On the forward viewscreen stood an Orion woman wearing red-lined battle armor. Normally, Klingon armor wasn't exactly considered the height of fashion, yet somehow the Orion was able to make it look sexy. Kara distantly supposed she could be wearing dishrags and still be able to pull it off. Her bright orange hair sharply contrasted her green skin. Kara knew her as Ruri, who, despite being Orion, was somehow a member of one of the Great Houses of Qo'noS, and was mutual friend of S'Pok. Apparently they had met during the Khitomer Conference, and the Orion Commander had been impressed by the Romulan's skill in battle against the Tal Shiar. Kara had met her the last time the Enterprise was on New Romulus.

"Commander Jayden," the Orion's voice was so naturally sultry she could probably read Starfleet Protocol and make it sound sexy. Kara noticed several male bridge officers were outright staring.

"Lieutenant General Ruri," she responded.

"You are aware that I need my crew to inspect your cargo."

"Yes Lieutenant General," Kara said, "You'll fid nothing but gifts and party supplies for all that are helping New Romulus become a homeworld that Romulans and Remans can be proud of. Maybe not equal to Qo'nos but…"

"Qo'nos is a noisy, crowded dump," the Orion said, quite brashly. Well, she was technically considered Klingon, "Mol'Rihan has quickly surpassed it and that is why I'm also bringing girts to the Romulan people. Although mine are far more practical."

"What are they exactly?"

"Oh, where's the fun in that?"

With that the communication cut off. Kara turned to her husband who seemed to be blankly staring out the viewport.

"Something wrong, sir?" Kara asked her mechanical husband.

"I underestimated how… reactive my emotion chip would be to the vocal tone and inflection of Lieutenant General Ruri."

Kara smiled. "You're not the only one." The Trill looked around the bridge to see several officers to the point of almost drooling. Orion pheromones, apparently they come over subspace bands now.

The rest of the trip to the Tau Dewa sector was uneventful so Kara and Data were able to spend some 'alone time' during the journey. They had just finished 'catching up' when they felt the ship drop out of warp.

"Captain Data, please report to bridge" Kara sighed before reaching to the floor and throwing Data's discarded uniform back at him. He smiled as she quickly zipped herself into her blue catsuit that was only semi-regulatory. No one ever complained though, certainly not the Captain.

'Duty calls." She sighed, and gave him a brief kiss before leaving their shared quarters.

When they reached the bridge, albeit a bit disheveled though no one said anything, through the viewscreen lay a beautiful sight. Hundreds of ships, Federation, Reman, Romulan, and Klingon were in orbit above the planet it was the galaxy as it should be, people putting aside their differences for good common goals. All co-ordinating their efforts to build a new home world for not one but two species. She contacted her people aboard the other ships, all of which had taken different routes in order to pick up more supplies and contributions. They were to begin beam down everything to the staging area and rope in everyone who was free to set up and commandeer the warehouse if it was possible. She herself had to meet with the leader of New Romulus and thus was able to beam to a location close to his office in the still being constructed city.

S'Pok met her at the staging area.

"So, how was the trip?" the Romulan said diplomatically.

Kara shrugged "Fine enough I guess, but mostly uneventful" S'Pok gave her a sly look that Kara couldn't interpret.

"By the way, I should probably tell you something before we meet with D'Tan,"

"What's that?"

"If you're going to wear the tight blue catsuit, at last put on underwear." Leaving Kara momentarily stupefied, S'Pok proudly walked on ahead. Kara lightly felt her backside and was mortified to find her friend wasn't just teasing. In her defense, they _had _been in a rush to get dressed.

When they reached the office, S'Pok pressed a button on the door that would act as a door bell, she then put in her clearance code.

"Ah, Commander Jayden," the Romulan man said as he looked up. "I believe you and Commander Havoc already know each other." The two women exchanged a glance.

"Yes we met shortly after the Khitomer Conference."

"Well, it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person Commander Jayden," he said.

"The same to you Proconsul D'Tan."

"I must admit I am still wondering just what we plan to celebrate, and exactly how," he said with a hint of worry. "Even as a child I didn't celebrate what few holidays Romulus had and the few Vulcan holidays we learnt about in the reunification movement aren't exactly suitable at this time."

"The how is easy. Just let me turn Warehouse Alpha Thirteen into a permanent party for the next few days," Kara explained. "The why is simple enough. Think about all the good things we've achieved in the past month, why not celebrate?"

"Then I have an idea about what we are celebrating," D'Tan replied. "The co-operation of everyone. So perhaps co-operation day or something like that. As far as I can remember none of the old Romulan holidays ever occurred in this period when every other planet seems to at least have one. It would be nice to share that with the rest of galactic society."

"Perhaps have a competition to find a slightly better name," S'Pok suggested. Kara gave her a sideways glance.

"In any case there will be entertainment, drinks and food, traditions from holidays from all over the Alpha and Beta Quadrant to participate in. So there should be something for everyone and the warehouse is large enough for all that."

"I shall like to maintain a presence in the surrounding country and our scientific studies should remain ongoing," Romulan leader said. "We don't want the Tal Shiar remnants or worse taking advantage."

"Of course," Kara said. "That's why I shall keep the party going for several days so everyone gets the chance to attend. I'll leave the details of duty shifts in your hands and those representatives of Starfleet Command and The KDF."

"By KDF, you wouldn't by chance mean Lt General Ruri, would you?" Apparently the woman's influence wasn't restricted to Starfleet personel.

"She was our escort through Klingon space, I believe she'll be one of the representatives in attendance."

"Very well commander," D'Tan said. "I'll send word to the warehouse and I look forward to attending the party."

The hardest part of setting up the party had been finding the control to extend the roof over the shuttle landing area's of the warehouse, as Kara found many eager helpers waiting for her when she arrived. Most were the children of the Reman and Romulan settlers glad to finally have a way to contribute to their new home. They reminded Kara of herself and Zak when they were kids. Soon the tables she had bought were spread with a feast and decorations from the far flung corners of the galaxy lined the walls. Even one or two of the Jayden family's personal ornaments that Kara had seen some of the children admiring, some of Data's creative paintings, and at least one gamma quadrant curiosity some one had purchased from the illustrious Quark enterprises decorated the scene. Soon she opened the doors and D'Tan dropped by to official open the event with a short speech. Soon the party was in full swing, Klingon were comparing their dk'tags to Romulan honour blades. Bolians were warning everyone which concoctions were specifically for them and poisonous to everyone else. She even saw a Everyone one was excited to be able to taste both cooked and traditionally raw targ. Music from every planet in the Federation both live and recorded was played. On the second day, Kara spotted S'Pok quietly strumming on some sort of lute, and sitting in a corner of the warehouse by herself. When Kara noticed this, she had Data get his violin, and he began to play along on some simple melodies. Soon, another Trill officer brought his Trill Piano, and a sort of band was started. There was no sheet music or memorization, pure improvisation. At the end of the impromptu concert, the crowd cheered and demanded an encore. The group happily obliged them.

S'Pok and Ruri became almost inseparable after that, drinking, laughing, and comparing Romulan and Klingon vintages, one day they even gathered a crowd as they compared Klingon self defense to a traditional Romulan martial art very similar to the Vulcan _suus mahna_. Kara was surprised to learn that S'Pok never really had an holidays growing up on Virinat, there was so much stuff to do that no one had time to celebrate, and there wasn't much to celebrate anyhow. As it turned out, Ruri's gifts had been automated defense systems for the crops being grown on Mol'Rihan, to protect them from small creatures that would otherwise feed on the planet's vital food source. Also, throwing in a few hundred disrupter pistols for the militia had been most appreciated.

And so it continued for several days until supplies began to run out and increased Tholian activity in the ruins meant they could not justify keeping the party going even if they did get more supplies. They had a surprise guest to finish the party with a speech. Obisek, de facto leader of the Remans, was on planet to discuss supply lines to the space station nick named the Vault which still housed many Reman and Romulan refugees. He had taken a break to attend the party before it ended and one of his Klingon friends had convinced him that as a Romulan had started it it was only traditional for a Reman to finish it. Although in in a much less violent manner than previous instances.

"I am happy to celebrate with all of you," he said. "To celebrate the continuing good work here on Mol'Rihan and all the various traditions of those working for the future of not just the Reman and Romulan people but that of the entire alpha and beta quadrants. So I wish you all happy holidays, whichever you celebrate and here's to the year ahead."

"I'll drink to that!" a Klingon Commander yelled.

With that he downed the sizable goblet of Romulan ale he had been holding to the cheers of the crowd. After a day of rest Kara rounded up her young helpers from earlier in the week and cleaned up the Warehouse and soon it was ready once again for the vital cargo required for colonizing a world. She gave each of her helpers a Christmas present, each one received a globe of their home world and a star chart of the Tau Dewa sector blocks.

On their way back to the Enterprise, Kara was startled when Data suddenly stopped walking for some reason, his golden eyes intently looking at something. "Data, what are you staring-" And then she saw it, on a hill over looking the landing pads stood two figures, one a Reman man Kara knew as Eras, S'Pok's chief or operations on board the Vengence. The other was a Klingon woman, close to full term. They were smiling and holding hands. With the sun setting in the background, it looked like a scene from one of the cheesy holonovels she knew some of the female crew members enjoyed.

Kara sighed happily, "Data,you are such a helpless romantic." his eyes snapped back to her and he smiled, picking her up and carrying his wife all the way back to the ship.

"Kara, I have enjoyed the past three days. I was wondering, perhaps, we could attend similar festivities next year."

"I would like that, Data," then a far more serious thought crossed her mind. "Do you think they'll be able to make it until next year, the Republic?" Data tilted his head, calculating the odds of success of the newly formed government.

"In my years in Starfleet, I have found it prudent to never underestimate Romulans." Kara smiled at that.


End file.
